Sheng Microelectronics

About Sheng Microelectronics

Sheng Microelectronics (Suzhou) Co., Ltd., also known as Shengxian Microelectronics, is a fabless semiconductor company established in September 2018, with its headquarters in Suzhou, China. The company was founded by a team of returning Chinese experts from Silicon Valley, including Chairman Gao Xianguo and General Manager Dr. Zhu Ning, who holds a Ph.D. in microelectronics from Tsinghua University. Dr. Zhu is an expert in high-speed analog and mixed-signal chip design and was a co-drafter of the early DisplayPort standard. The founding team's extensive experience is a cornerstone of the company, with co-founder and Deputy General Manager Qin Liang noting their work in AMOLED driver chip R&D dates back to 2012, making them one of the earliest teams in China to enter this field. This deep industry knowledge is reflected in their R&D team, where over 70% of members hold a master's degree or higher.

The company's core business is the design and sale of high-performance driver chips for Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode (AMOLED) displays. Its target markets are consumer electronics, specifically focusing on smartphones, smart wearables, and, more recently, mobile PCs like notebooks and tablets. As a fabless entity, Sheng Microelectronics concentrates on the research and development of its intellectual property and outsources the manufacturing of its chips. The company has proactively established a fully domestic supply chain, utilizing Chinese foundries like SMIC for wafer production and partnering with local firms such as Tongfu Microelectronics for packaging and testing to ensure production stability.

Sheng Microelectronics has developed a portfolio of AMOLED driver chips that have entered mass production and are integrated into the supply chains of several domestic panel manufacturers. In May 2019, the company announced the successful development of what was claimed to be the world's smallest OLED display driver chip. Their product lineup includes a range of resolutions from HD+ to WQHD+ and supports high refresh rates up to 144Hz. Key product differentiators include an ultra-low power consumption smart watch AMOLED driver chip, which reportedly has a standby power consumption 50% lower than major competitors, and a cost-effective 90Hz smartphone AMOLED driver chip. A notable technological achievement is the introduction of the 'Trisome' storage technology, which integrates three memory components (Nor-flash, SRAM, OTP) into one, reducing system costs and improving performance for mobile phone screens. The company has also developed a glass-based Micro-LED display driver chip in partnership with a leading domestic panel maker.

The company's growth has been supported by several funding rounds, including a Pre-A round in May 2021, an A round of nearly 100 million RMB in October 2021 led by prominent industry investors, and a B+ round in September 2023. This financial backing has enabled Sheng Microelectronics to expand its research and development, leading to significant revenue growth, with a reported 50-fold increase in 2021. The company achieved a major milestone in 2022, with total chip shipments exceeding ten million units.